Being a good manager is not an easy task and takes a well rounded approach for the best outcome. It takes empathy, facilitated direction, and a TON of patience. Not many people are able to excel in this area but a lot of the managerial skills can be learned and applied in diverse fashion.
Each employee is vastly different and having the skills to understand the best traits in each, bring out these traits, and also allocating the employees to complement each other is essential.
Along with teamwork and the ability to understand what makes each individual tick, there are other factors that can be applied that are more technical decisions vs a managerial approach.
Continuing Education and Setting Realistic Targets
When employees are working without any type of target and no credential or reward in place, the drive and quality will definitely diminish. There is simply no reason for the employee to work harder and finish the job in a timely fashion.
Conversely, if there is a plan in place with a set goal at a specific date, then it provides a reason to get the work done in a timely manner and actually care about the job that they are doing.
Training and continuing education are extremely important in a job. This allows to not only stop stagnation within the workforce but provides a pathway towards a better career for the employee.
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Providing a stepping stone scenario that can develop into tiered credentials will empower and motivate the employee because he or she has something to work towards that they can be proud of and put on their resume.
Benefits of Hiring Contractors
The pros of hiring contractors are most known for the financial components such as not having to pay benefits, the overhead of housing the candidate, liabilities, and training costs.
Hiring a contractor allows the employer to find the best person for the job because of access to a large pool of candidates. Additionally, there are no hang ups with competition within the company and the employer can go after the best person for the specific job that needs to be accomplished.
Flexibility is another big advantage with acquiring an Independent Contractor. The employer is able to hire project to project and is also able to let go an independent contractor easier depending on the contract that was agreed upon for the job.
Since the Independent Contractor is a specialist in his or her’s field, it allows for maximum production and there is no need for training. This allows for the job to be done at a faster rate vs trying to complete the project with untrained workers that are learning on the job.
This can be very costly if the job is delayed or needs to be fixed if it was not done correctly the first time.
Monitoring the Employee
Keeping on top of an employee’s performance can be quite difficult and requires a daily or weekly ritual to understand how each employee is doing in their position.
Most companies have an annual performance checklist of some sort but there definitely needs to be something set in place to understand if there is an area that could be worked on and adjusted for optimal performance as quick as possible.
When assessing, the employee needs to have been made aware of his responsibilities and what is his expected performance. As well as what are the negative implications if he does not meet the expected criterion for his or her role.
Another avenue of monitoring employees and making adjustments before there is a major problem is drug testing. If an employee is acting inappropriately, then they may be under the influence of drugs and/or alcohol. When a person is under the influence then they are not making rational decisions and the consequences can result in losing a potential client and disrupting workflow or employee relations.